Mena School District

The Ladycats & Bearcats are getting in their workouts on the first day of re-entry!!!!

We are excited to see our guys on Monday. The coaches have been working extremely hard to make sure we keep each athletes safety #1! Reminder: All work is voluntary. Below are group assignments for our Junior High and 7th grade football players. Only addition to the below info.....if there is a 7-9th player who ONLY plays football, they will report at 2:30 on Tues and Thurs. This is for the month of June. Group 1 @ 11:00am Monday & Wednesday Skill Players (receivers,quarterbacks,running backs,defensive backs) Group 2 @ 1:30pm Monday & Wednesday Linemen (offensive & defensive) If you are unsure which group you are to attend please reach out to a coach Reminder, no workouts on June 9! For all the athletic work out schedule click on the link. https://www.facebook.com/MenaPublicSchools/photos/a.480635768762834/1503819796444421/?type=3&theater Go Bearcats!

Applications for the 2020-2021 school year are now available and can be completed online at the link below. PCVA is an online, home based educational option for K-12 students. For more information, contact PCVA Director Bridget Buckley at bridget.buckley@menaschools.org or 479-216-0205. https://forms.gle/13iWJAdUPgCMYDKS7

Join the 2020 Mena Junior High Boys Basketball Remind App! Parents and players please join as soon as possible! https://www.remind.com/join/202021mena

Tentative Prom and Commencement Dates!

Mena Athletics/Extra Curricular General Guidelines for Re-Entry

Tell your Instagram friends to like the NEW Mena Schools account! https://www.instagram.com/menaschools/

Tell your Twitter friends to like the NEW Mena Schools account! https://twitter.com/SchoolsMena

Please return MMS library books! Tubs are located outside the front entrance Monday -Thursday 8am-4pm..

JLG’s May Librarian of the Month honor goes to Louise Durham Elementary and Tiffany Williams. We could tell from seeing her social media posts that she was always willing to go the extra mile to get students to engage with books, whether through sensory mats to form a check-out line or loading up her cart to deliver books to classrooms. Read on to learn more about Tiffany... https://www.juniorlibraryguild.com/blog/post/detail/id/3050/

The Mena School District is actively working on a re-entry plan for our students who will be participating in extracurricular on-site summer activities including student athletes, band members, choir members, and our FFA members. Our number one priority is the safety of all of our students and staff members. We are developing a plan that properly implements and follows the Governor's Directive, the CDC Guidance, the Arkansas Department of Health Guidelines, and adheres to the Arkansas Activities Association COVID-19 Updates. This includes the planning, preparation, and training for our administrators, staff members, and coaches on the expectations of meeting each guideline, assuring prior measures are in place, and properly maintaining the use of our facilities to ensure the safety for all involved. Additional information regarding re-entry will be released directly from our district social media outlet in regards to this fluid situation. Mena Public Schools appreciates your continued support and understanding.

Attention Parents of Students who attended Mena School District: State and Federal guidelines require that all special education due process forms and records be destroyed within six (6) years after a student leaves the special education or speech therapy program. If your child was dismissed, graduated, dropped from the program or found to be ineligible for special education services and/ or speech therapy during the school year 2012-2013, you have the right to review and request copies of your child’s due process records before they are destroyed. Your child also has the right to review these records providing he or she is 18 years or older. If you wish to see these records, they will be available at Mena School Special Education office beginning May 25, 2020 to June 15, 2020 from 7:00 am to 4:00 p.m. Records, which are not picked up will be destroyed on June 22, 2020. These records are NOT your child’s permanent school records, they are only special education due process forms and records. You may contact Laura Bunch Special Education Supervisor 479-394-1144

Mena High School JAG (Job's For America's Graduates) seniors have earned $1,215,279.00 in scholarships and grants as of May 15th! Go Bearcats ! Go JAG !

THANK YOU to all of our amazing students and parents that completed and dropped off work that you have been doing over the past several weeks!! WE are so very proud of all you have done- this includes those of you that worked digitally the entire time, but had no "paper work" to turn in to us. LIBRARY BOOKS: WE will leave a library book tub outside of HHE throughout the month of MAY. As you come across books while cleaning, etc....please drop them off to us here at school. The tub will be outside during office hours only. Again, WE appreciate all of your cooperation during these unprecedented times! Have a wonderful summer!

Congratulations to Mena Middle School on being chosen as one of the schools in the State of Arkansas to be included in an adequacy case study. They were chosen for “repeatedly performing higher than their demographics indicated they should”. "We are humbled in being chosen to be part of this case study. It is a credit to our diligent staff and the wonderful students that have graced our hallways. We look forward to helping the future of education in Arkansas." said Principal Cliff Sherrer. Our Leadership committee: Clifton Sherrer, Todd Coogan, Leilani Rose Teacher committee: Robin Ponder, Malea Ellison, Sheli Chaney  

Mena Middle School Offers Computer Science Course for 2020-2021 School Year Computer Science for Grades 7 and 8 is an elective consisting of an introduction to computers, hardware, software, internet, research, coding, and 21st Century Skills. This is a Project Based Learning course where students apply knowledge and skills to solve problems they identify in their school and community. Mena Middle School will continue to offer these Career Technical course electives: Family CSI (Consumer Science Investigations) Introduction to Agriculture Career Development Keyboarding Leadership through Service Learning Introduction to Business Applications / Computers These courses allow students to establish foundation skills for their future - high school, college, and workforce. Students should make their course selections via the School Form. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfiPXurZ4kFtf6EMLQ0ISAe8vRotzxcX8oYsPKcBiDlX3gAcw/viewform

Welcome Dr. Lee Smith back to Mena. Smith has been hired as the next Assistant Superintendent at the Mena Public Schools.. GO BEARCATS!!!

The Mena School Board met on Tuesday, May 19th. The meeting began with the Superintendents Report. Mr. Benny Weston updated the board on the multiple phases the leadership team is working on for reentry & the beginning of the 2020/2021 school year. Assistant Superintendent Paulette Sherrer added that a needs assesment is underway in anticipation of the award from federal COVID-19 CARES Act monies. Personnel was next on the agenda. RESIGNATIONS Traci Gray Malani Vega RESCIND CONTRACT Markie Blocker TRANSFER Amy Dollar - 6th grade social studies Justin Goodnight - Mena High School Agri Chelsea Johnson - 8th grade algebra Susan McKeever - LDE Special Education paraprofessional HIRE Dr. Lee Smith - Assistant Superintendent Cheyenne Burdess - HHE Lisa Falls - HHE LPN Alicia Farringer - MMS Special Education self contained Amy Martin - MMS Chase McCormick - MMS Agri Colby Singleton - Secondary MHS COACHING DUTIES Landon Dover - head sr. girls track Tia Fryer - assistant jr. boys basketball Ryan Luttmer - head jr. boys basketball & head jr. boys track Brad Lyle - assistant sr. boys basketball Heather Goss - head jr. girls track All were approved unanimously. The board then renewed the contract with Aramark Food Service & also renewed the agreement with Horizon Software. The board accepted the Freedom of Choice Applications of 9 students. Next was an update on the district's Five Year Plan to improve the FTE (Full-time equivalent). For the 20/21 school year the FTE has improved to 91.4% & is expected to jump to 95% once final calculations are made. Finally financial reports were approved & the meeting adjourned.

Mena Middle School now has bins available for students to return packets, library books, and teacher books. The bins are available from 9:00 am - 1:00 pm, Monday, May 11th through Thursday, May 14th and are located at the main entrance. Students' locker contents have been bagged and will be available for pickup during that time as well. MMS students will be able to return their Chrome Book device (and charger) May 18th &19th on the following schedule: 6th grade 9:00 - 10:30, 7th grade 10:30 - 12:00, 8th grade 1:00 - 2:30. The turn-in point for Chrome Books will in the bus loading area. If you have any questions, please call Mena Middle School at 394-2572."

Any work/papers/books can turned Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of this week. Also, there are Social Studies projects that can be picked up as well. There are filing cabinets set up to place work in by grade level.